Chapter Seven
Cherry
Fire cackles softly in the fire pit, casting a warm glow in the cool evening air. I nestle under a cozy blanket, sharing it with my new husband, who sits close beside me. The flames flicker, illuminating the faces of the people surrounding us—the ranch hands. I was introduced to everyone earlier and was surprised by just how many of them there are. They are all engaged in conversations, laughter bubbling like the beer in my glass. It's my first one.
“You don’t have to try it,” Dane says from beside me, and I glance at my husband. Even in the dark, those green eyes sparkle with warmth.
When I came to Valor Springs, the last thing I expected was to get married. But now I have a husband and can start the process of securing a green card, something that hadn’t occurred to me until Dane mentioned it the night after our wedding. From the moment Dane slipped the ring on my finger, I’d forgotten all about my legal troubles and my missing parents. I’d been able to think of nothing at all except him, my husband .
He has made an addict out of me, that’s for sure. God, we just made love tonight before coming to this gathering and have many other times over the last three days, but I still can’t get enough. I still want him.
I bring the glass to my lips, scrunching my face up in distaste as the bitter flavor disappoints my expectations. “You’re right, I shouldn’t have tried it,” I say, passing Dane my glass. He chuckles, taking a sip of my beer. “I don’t know why people drink it. That is not a good taste!”
“It’s an acquired taste,” he assures me, taking another sip, and my eyes drop to his mouth. That firm, sexy mouth that has explored every inch of my body over the last couple of days. I bet the beer would taste amazing on his lips.
God, he’s perfect, and I want to climb back on him again.
I might as well forget about the drinking because at the rate we’ve been making love, I would be shocked if am not already pregnant with the man’s child. The thought fills me with so much joy, I have to resist the urge to bring my hand to my stomach. It’s only been three days!
“You still haven’t explained,” I whisper, dropping my head against his shoulder as I watch everyone else party, ignoring the rapidly growing throb between my legs.
“Explained what?”
“You know…why you proposed when you did then took me to the courthouse the same day.”
“We’ve been busy,” he says, trailing his eyes over my body, and I resist the urge to pull the sweater tighter around me so he doesn’t see the effect his gaze has on me. My nipples are already pebbling and poking my top despite his lips having been on them less than half an hour ago. I can still feel the man inside of me. It would be insane for us to have any more sex.
And yet, I can’t stop thinking about it. This man has turned me into an addict, and as much as I want to climb back onto his lap, forget all the people with us, and ride his dick like my body is begging me to…I need an answer to my question. Something in the back of my mind is pushing me for it.
“Tell me,” I say firmly.
Dane nods, bringing the glass back to his lips before turning to face me. “Okay. My brother still isn’t back in town. I didn’t want to take the risk that he would get back too late to help us stop your deportation. Being married to me gives you the right to a green card and keeps you safe while your application is processed.”
I blink at the man. Well, that was anticlimactic. I’ve been stressing over his answer for the last couple of days, and did he just say…he married me so I wouldn’t be deported? Was that the only reason? But before I can question him further, he leans in and brushes his lips over mine, and this time, when I taste the beer on his lips, it's sweet.
“You're mine now, I don't care about the circumstances that brought you to me. All you need to know is that I am not letting you go. I have the resources to protect you, sweetheart. But we can discuss this more later. Just enjoy the party tonight,” he says turning to look at the people around the bonfire, and my eyes follow his gaze. Everyone is all cozied up under blankets and chatting over beer and snacks. “They planned it all for you.”
My head whips back to my husband's. “T-they did?”
“When they heard I’d gotten married, they wanted to meet the boss’s wife and welcome you to our small town.”
“That was nice of them. I bet news travels fast here.”
He smirks, finishing the rest of the beer in the glass. “Oh, you have no idea,” he rasps deeply, so close to my ear it makes my stiff nipples ache behind my top and my skin buzz with sensitivity. My body is begging for his touch, but we’re in public. Sure, it’s dark, but there are at least twenty people out here with us. I can lust over my husband later, when it’s just the two of us.
I quietly clear my throat and attempt to shift so my thighs aren’t touching his, but my husband possessively tightens the arm he has around my waist before I can even try. “Dane…”
“What?” he asks thickly, either oblivious to the feelings he is arousing in me or encouraged by them. My bet is on the latter. The evil man is doing this on purpose. “I just want to be closer to my wife.”
The hand on my waist is moving up, and I bite back a whimper when his finger brushes over my nipple, and my clit throbs in response. “Dane!” I hiss, looking around to make sure no one’s watching my devil of a husband and his wicked ways. “We’re in the open!”
“It’s dark,” he says into my hair, his lips grazing my neck. “And besides, no one’s watching us. Most people are half drunk anyway.”
“Still.”
“I’m so hard for you, baby. I’ve been hard from the moment we cozied up here.” My eyes drop to the bulging cock poking at the blanket. “I can’t think of anything beyond your scent and touch. You drive me to madness when you’re this close.”
“We’re married,” I whisper, more to myself than to him. “We’re stuck with each other for life. Will it always be this way with us?”
“I will bet everything I have that I will always want you.”
“And I… Oh!” I bite back a gasp when Dane effortlessly drags me onto his lap and pulls me against his erection. The move draws a few looks from the people around us, but he doesn't pay mind to them as he secures the blanket around us.
One of the people seated closest to us turns to face us. He introduced himself as Riles earlier, but I was so overwhelmed by the number of people here and their roles that I forgot what he’s in charge of. “So, Mrs. Tate, how do you like Valor Springs so far?”
Mrs.…
A couple of people have called me that before, but it still steals air from my lungs every time I hear it. “I haven’t had time to look around…” because I’ve been riding my husband’s dick the entire time I was here. “… but I am sure it’s a lovely town.”
“So, where are you from?” asks the man.
A shiver trails down my body when Dane leans in, his breath heavy on my ear, and a shiver racks my body when his lips graze the sensitive spot behind my ear. “Who knows where this gorgeous woman came from,” he responds on my behalf, his voice gruff. “She just fell into my lap.”
Riles seems to get the message that Dane doesn’t want to discuss my past, and he simply nods, chatting me up about all the great things about Valor Springs. I try to pay attention. I really do, but my nipples are puckered painfully as my husband breathes softly in my ear.
“Have you been to Annie’s?”
I barely hold back a whimper when I feel my husband’s long fingers dip under my top and palm my tits. “Who’s Annie?” I manage, smiling at the man who seems genuinely interested in having a conversation with me.
“She owns the town’s bakery. Her desserts are known throughout the state, though.”
“Yes, I…” I cough to hide the moan that tries to slip out as my husband fondles my breasts. Shit, I should have worn a bra, but then again, that would not have stopped him. He slowly kneads my tits with his massive palms so as not to disturb our blanket too much, trying his best to push me off the edge, but I cling on. And I cling on hard. I am determined to finish my conversation with this man if it kills me, so I clear my head and nod. “Dane got me some when I first arrived. They were delicious.”
“Oh, you should try the blueberry muffins. No one makes them like Annie!”
“I should visit—” I bite hard on my lips when my husband’s hand drops from my tits and starts to travel beneath my skirt. He’s careful with it too, making sure our company doesn’t notice the movement under the thickness of the blanket. “I have to go around the town sometime. Get to know people and…”
God, this man is killing me! His hands are slowly climbing up my thighs, and I nearly cry out when his fingers brush my sex over my panties, sending a flood of moisture staining the lining.
What was I saying? I don’t even remember anymore.
How can I, when Dane is sliding his fingers underneath my panties and touching my naked sex. I’m wet, my clit trembling with need for this man, and I am expected to hold a conversation? It’s too much for me.
“I’ve been thinking of showing Cherry around,” Dane states, his deep voice sending goosebumps licking up my skin. “She’s quite shy, so I think it would be a good thing if she gets to know more people and makes friends in town.”
“Right!” Riles responds, taking my husband’s words as true.
I’m not shy, not really, but right after this, I’m going to be. There is no way I’m going to be able to face these people once they find out what Dane and I are doing under this blanket.
“We just want to take it slow,” Dane adds, and his words feel like they are aimed at me when he slowly slides his thick finger into my sex. My thighs jerk around his hand, which goes unnoticed thanks to the darkness. “All this is new to both of us, so we just want to ride it slow. The wave, I mean.”
My head falls back on his shoulder, and I close my eyes, biting hard on my lip to stop myself from sobbing as the cruel man I married slides his digit in and out of my sex in slow, torturous moves.
“So, the famous bachelor of Valor Springs decided to finally settle down, huh?” calls out another voice, and I bite back a groan, snapping my eyes open to catch yet another person joining in. Dane doesn't take that as his cue to stop, adding yet another finger to the first.
I cough once more in an attempt to hide a moan. “Sorry,” I croak to the men around us. “The cold. I’m not used to it.”
“That’s alright, Mrs. Tate. It’s colder here out in the open than in town, but you’ll get used to it.”
Dane uses the pad of his thumb on my clit as he slides his fingers through my wetness. “Thanks,” I choke out, discreetly opening my thighs a little wider for my husband. Then he starts moving faster, drowning the wet sounds of his maddening finger sliding into my drenched sex with chatter. The men laugh about something or the other, but I am too gone to pay attention to the conversation.
I close my eyes and assume a relaxed position against my husband, pretending with everything in me that I am simply falling asleep and not seconds away from tearing off my clothes and climbing back on my husband’s lap, this time to ride something bigger than his fingers.
“Marriage is a beautiful thing. Ashley and I have been married for twelve years now. It wasn’t easy at first…”
My mind blanks when an orgasm slams through me with little warning, and I fall in a fit of coughs as Dane strokes his finger in and out of me, the thumb on my clit unrelenting as it rubs the sensitive bud in fast, rough strokes.
“Hey, sweetheart, are you okay?” Dane asks, feigned concern clear in his voice, even as my sex clenches around his thick digit, the aftershocks of my orgasm rolling through me. “Looks like the cold is getting to you.”
“I’m fine,” I choke out, sinking my teeth into my lip as I fight the urge to roll my hips and ride his hand harder.
“You don’t look fine,” he says, bringing his free hand to my shoulder and rubbing my arm before turning to the other guys. “I think we should call it a night, fellas. The Valor Springs cold can be a lot for people who are not used to it.”
The men all hum in agreement, and I bite back a whine when Dane finally withdraws his fingers, straightening my dress under the blanket before finally pulling it off us. His arms stay around me, perhaps to hide his erection as he bids the men goodnight. He clasps his hand over mine, and then we’re heading toward the main house. I nearly trip a couple of times as I try to keep up with him, but he saves me every time before I fall.
His mouth slams down hard on mine as soon as we're in the house. My panties are on the floor and my hips are wrapped around him in seconds. “Oh God,” I cry out as my husband slams into me, pressing me harder against the door.
There are no words spoken between us as he jackhammers into me. Everything I need to know is written in his eyes. The unspoken affection between us, it’s there in his gaze and on his face. The love that we share for each other, it hasn’t been said out loud, but it’s in our lovemaking. It soothes something jagged that had been poking at me, and I find myself wishing for this moment to last forever.
For us to last forever.